Until now, all of my treks though the desert have been mostly enjoyable. However upon entering The Arid Sea (via Vulture’s Drift), I found the sun to be blindingly bright and its heat testing my endurance. Once again, Erolin is helping me explore this area. She seems to really enjoy revisiting Tyria.

Not far from our entry point, we spotted this massive giant’s skull. The sight of it made me feel somewhat uneasy about what this area had in store for us.

Also near where we started, there is an artisan named Nido Shabra. I was quite surprised to find a Shining Blade member so far into the Crystal Desert.

As we fought our way through The Arid Sea, Erolin spotted this mysterious statue of a female warrior. When I stood still and watched the statue for a few minutes, I noticed that the statue rocks back in forth in the wind like a tree. Erolin explained to me that she had to venture out here seeking the wisdom of Siliss Yassith. And when you approach the statue it actually falls down! I wasn’t entirely convinced by her words, so we headed in its direction to investigate the matter further.

Maybe the desert heat is causing me to see strange things, but the statue fell down! I wonder what strange magics have enchanted this statue or perhaps when you see it stand up right it is just an illusion.

Walking around to investigate the fallen statue, we found more statue parts.

Here is a non-glowing pillar in ruins, similar to the ones I found in Prophet’s Path.

Walking on the fallen statue seemed like a bad idea at first, but with my friend’s encouragement I traveled onward.

Erolin introduced me to Siliss Yassith, a Forgotten who showed her how to better use her skills.

On the same cliff where I found Siliss Yassith, I spotted some ruins in the distance. Intrigued by what I might find there, I set off to explore it.

On our way to investigate the ruins, we talked to a Forgotten Guardian. To our surprise, he guards a portal that leads into the Crystal Overlook, which is in Elona! As much as I would love to start exploring that area, I am determined to finish exploring Tyria and then Cantha before I set foot on Elona.

In my exploration of The Arid Sea, I found a total of three bleached bones with accompanying journal entries. With an area this big, I wouldn’t be surprised if more of these could be found underneath the sands.

“My third day alone. I managed to cover Leah with enough sand and debris to hide her from my sight. I can’t bear to watch as the elements and insects ravage her corpse, but I haven’t the strength to bury her properly. Soon I’ll join her on the other side, but in the meantime I wish nothing so much as to be as far from her as possible. Gods, have mercy on me.”

“Why did we come out here? My daughters have grown sicker each day, and nothing I can do will save them. At night I see the gleaming eyes of creatures that wait just outside the firelight for me to fall asleep, so they can feed on my little ones. Their mother, dead these last two weeks, will curse me from her shallow grave, but I have no choice. Tonight, the soup will contain enough choke root to put the girls to sleep once and for all. When they are safe once again, I will eat of it myself, for I’ll not face the morning without them.”

It came out of the dunes like a kraken out of the sea, all teeth and meaty, flapping jaw. There was no time, nowhere to go. It bit down on Menrick, and when it pulled away, all that was left of the man we had called our leader were his leather boots and the remnants of his ankles.”

I found this mysterious object tucked away in a small nook in the ruins. The design reminds me of the Resurrection Orb I encountered while doing the Unwaking Waters mission. It even emits a ray of light that is just about as bright as the sun.

After an exhausting search of The Arid Sea, Erolin and I retired to Destiny’s Gorge to cool off and prepare for the next area.